This invention has a particular application to a retaining means which can be used together with a lock originally fixed on a door.
Locks have been widely used in the architectural industry for the purpose of retaining door in an opening or locking status. Yet, most of the locks using latches to keep the door in a locking status are not perfect designs, because a gap still exists between a jamb and a lock. Thus, an intruder will easily break into a house using simple tool. For overcoming the drawbacks of the prior locks, people then provide a chain to let the door open but still in a retained manner.
Although such a design works well, it needs extra work to mount the chain onto the door and thus will somewhat damage the jamb.
Therefore, the present invention provides an improved retaining means having a body, locking means, resilient means, and a controlling means. The body is configured to have two extensions each having a hole therein and extending upwardly and downwardly. The body further comprises a sliding plate extending latitudinally and a receiving hole having two sliding recesses configured respectively on a sidewall. The locking means is configured and defined to be sliding movable within the receiving hole of the body. A recess is configured within the locking means for receiving a resilient means therein, such that the locking means will be pushed away from the body by the resilient means when the compression of the controlling means on the locking means is released. On a contrary side of the recess, a surface is configured thereon for receiving a latch when a door is in a locking position. A protrusion with several linked beveled surfaces and a positioning edge adjacent to said beveled surfaces is formed respectively on an upper end and a lower end of the locking means. The controlling means is a "U" shaped plate having a curved portion at its opposite end to an opening of the "U" shape and has a first leg and a second leg. The first leg and the second leg individually have a projection and an "L" shaped boss; the projection is configured orthogonally to the first leg and the second leg and is provided with an inclined surface corresponding to said beveled surface of the locking means. The projection is further provided with a sliding boss formed opposite to the direction of the outer sliding boss on the second leg.
Thus, the retaining means of the present invention tends to mitigate and/or obviate the aforementioned problems.